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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · stock · tube · chair · lie · spring · root · safe

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spring — the season
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lie — to recline
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — a container
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitch — completely
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stock — goods
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. root — of a word
  22. chair — a leader
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com